Ware Jewelers ~ Alabama

[Ravager135]

Originally Posted by McinRolex

Same here.
I am wondering what will happen to Ben Bridge since most of their stores are within the mall.

Well all one needs to do is take a look at what is happening to malls...

My AD is a family owned AD in an affluent suburb in NJ. I have a hard time imagining them losing Rolex, but they certainly aren't the only AD in the state. They dedicate a sizeable portion of their store to Rolex and the display is always nearly empty. Maybe it's because they are selling everything they have, maybe it's because they aren't getting what they used to. I do not know. I do know that other brands that they carry have been reduced to very small displays in relation to Rolex. They used to have almost every IWC model in the store, now they only carry select Pilot and Portugeiser models and have to special order everything else. Their JLC counter is woefully incomplete; a few Reversos and smattering of other models.

[ronricks]

Originally Posted by mips33

Ware Jewelers is still showing up on the Rolex site

It likely will until March 31st.

[Stan Cooper]

Originally Posted by mips33

Ware Jewelers is still showing up on the Rolex site

Right; they'll be an AD until the end of March according to the OP.

[Bozack90]

I am glad I've got what I got and am not in the market for anything else, with all of these posts and the shortage I can only figure its amazingly frustrated for anyone looking for another Rolex

[Jack T]

Originally Posted by Bozack90

I am glad I've got what I got and am not in the market for anything else, with all of these posts and the shortage I can only figure its amazingly frustrated for anyone looking for another Rolex

#metoo

[Calatrava r]

Originally Posted by RealMadrid1988

Not surprising. Rolex is indeed moving upmarket and out of small- to medium-sized towns (with obvious exceptions like Greenwich, CT; Hamptons; Orange County; etc.).

I wonder if the next step will be trying to dictate what brands it can and cannot be sold beside.

I think they already do that. Perhaps, not throughout the store but what brands can be next to Rolex is moving towards none with the segregated areas for Rolex in the ADs now a requirement.

[ChipotleBanana]

Originally Posted by judson

I am disappointed in Rolex. I have purchased numerous Rolexes from Ware. I just called and spoke to the manager of the store I deal with on a regular basis and she was sad.

The Ware location in Auburn is a beautiful store. They literally tore down the old showroom and rebuilt to showcase Rolex.

I have read other threads with people speculating why other ADs lost their status, and I can say that this AD is stand up and honest. I have purchased the following watches from them:
Discontinued Black Milgauss for 35% off
Discontinued Explorer 214270 MK1 for 30% off
BLNR on jubilee
White Daytona 500

They know that I love watches. Nowhere else would I have been able to purchase a ceramic Daytona with my spend history. They are honest and take care of their customers and because they know that I love watches I got access to watches most regular customers would never see.

I will continue to do business with them whenever I can and if you are ever near one of their locations stop in, because they might not carry Rolex any more, but whatever new line they carry, will be backed by an honest business.

Seeing any AD discount like that is insane. Their profit is literally evaporating.

[Wes911]

Wares is my hometown dealer. Hate to see it go but I figured it was happening. I have bought a couple watches from them. Was hoping to get more.

For the record they do have multiple locations but only the downtown Auburn location sells Rolex. Last week when I was in there half the Rolex case had been repurposed for watch winder boxes. They haven't had much of anything in the case for a couple years like lots of places. Seems like a fair amount of local sales though. Good people work there. I enjoy visiting with them. Hopefully they will get some other line I like in there.

I'm honestly getting a little burned out on all the Rolex supply nonsense.

[911_3.6]

The Wares at Eastchase in Montgomery has not carried Rolex in a couple of years or so. They only had a case or two in a corner and I remember seeing GMT Pepsi’s in case just a few years ago. Probably not a lot of buyers in Montgomery for high end watches.

[RayRay89]

Been going on for the last decade or so. My AD lost their Ability to sale Rolex then unfortunately ended up closing. It was a high end jewelry store in a not so nice area. Family run and been around for over a hundred years but the brothers were in their 70’s and Rolex wanted a several million dollar investment to renovate the store and in invintory. This of course was back in 2012 when the bubble didn’t exist and everything was available in case or to order.

[ganiccus]

how the hell did a a sub-100k city manage to have a Rolex AD to begin with? About time Rolex starts to trim out the weeds and re-allocate their watches to bigger markets, freaking US have WAY too many dealers in the middle of nowhere jesus.

[jlovda]

Originally Posted by RayRay89

Been going on for the last decade or so. My AD lost their Ability to sale Rolex then unfortunately ended up closing. It was a high end jewelry store in a not so nice area. Family run and been around for over a hundred years but the brothers were in their 70’s and Rolex wanted a several million dollar investment to renovate the store and in invintory. This of course was back in 2012 when the bubble didn’t exist and everything was available in case or to order.

This sounds exactly like Gasser in downtown Canton, OH. The closest Rolex AD is now over 50 miles away near Cleveland. I've never bothered to go there.

[jlovda]

Originally Posted by ganiccus

how the hell did a a sub-100k city manage to have a Rolex AD to begin with? About time Rolex starts to trim out the weeds and re-allocate their watches to bigger markets, freaking US have WAY too many dealers in the middle of nowhere jesus.

Those people do not deserve to own a Rolex!!!! Who would see it when the owner is chewing tobacco rocking on his front porch.

[jmed]

Originally Posted by ganiccus

how the hell did a a sub-100k city manage to have a Rolex AD to begin with? About time Rolex starts to trim out the weeds and re-allocate their watches to bigger markets, freaking US have WAY too many dealers in the middle of nowhere jesus.

Grow up! This is a stand up family owned business that’s been a staple there for many many years. Bought my Deep Sea from them and possibly one of the best experiences I’ve had buying Rolex. They have been a Rolex account for decades, have a Rolex certified in house service technician, and as you read earlier restructured the sales flood a few years back to showcase Rolex. As far as being non-metropolitan city, so what, if you knew anything, you’d know what kind of money is there on a regular basis. Ever heard of Osmose lumber just for starters ? They probably sold more Rolex on Saturday business from people they’ve never seen before than many Rolex accounts. AND they didn’t play the stupid shady games most Mayors stores or other accounts do, if you wanted to buy a Rolex and they had it, they’d sell to you, NEVER above retail because they are an honest family. It’s very sad what Rolex is doing and has been doing to these long standing honest accounts. I like Rolex, have a few myself, but I don’t consider them a super premium or super luxury brand anymore, they need to stop trying to be Patek. They mass produce watches, expensive watches yes, good quality watches yes, but they are hurting themselves if you ask me.

[jmed]

Originally Posted by jlovda

Those people do not deserve to own a Rolex!!!! Who would see it when the owner is chewing tobacco rocking on his front porch.

Jealous much........loser

[Razorsedge1]

Originally Posted by ganiccus

how the hell did a a sub-100k city manage to have a Rolex AD to begin with? About time Rolex starts to trim out the weeds and re-allocate their watches to bigger markets, freaking US have WAY too many dealers in the middle of nowhere jesus.

Perhaps they treat their customers with respect and run a good business.

[drrd]

Originally Posted by jlovda

Those people do not deserve to own a Rolex!!!! Who would see it when the owner is chewing tobacco rocking on his front porch.

Yeah, how to sound like a really mature, considered and non-judgemental person.

[jlovda]

Originally Posted by drrd

Yeah, how to sound like a really mature, considered and non-judgemental person.

I was commenting on ganiccus remarks about a small town jeweler. Apparently you thought I was seconding his opinion.

[casadecamporolex]

Originally Posted by jmed

Grow up! This is a stand up family owned business that’s been a staple there for many many years. Bought my Deep Sea from them and possibly one of the best experiences I’ve had buying Rolex. They have been a Rolex account for decades, have a Rolex certified in house service technician, and as you read earlier restructured the sales flood a few years back to showcase Rolex. As far as being non-metropolitan city, so what, if you knew anything, you’d know what kind of money is there on a regular basis. Ever heard of Osmose lumber just for starters ? They probably sold more Rolex on Saturday business from people they’ve never seen before than many Rolex accounts. AND they didn’t play the stupid shady games most Mayors stores or other accounts do, if you wanted to buy a Rolex and they had it, they’d sell to you, NEVER above retail because they are an honest family. It’s very sad what Rolex is doing and has been doing to these long standing honest accounts. I like Rolex, have a few myself, but I don’t consider them a super premium or super luxury brand anymore, they need to stop trying to be Patek. They mass produce watches, expensive watches yes, good quality watches yes, but they are hurting themselves if you ask me.

One of the primary reason Rolex is what it is in that area might be due to the Ware family; the same can be said for all the small market, family owned fine quality jewelry businesses that were the backbone of the US market during the good and bad times.
The executives at RolexUSA are "soldiers" who crap on the retailers with the goodbye letter. "Sorry, even after 50 years as partners, you are out."
I’ve had a relationship with my AD 40 years and they are in a small market.
Hope they made the cut.

[drrd]

Originally Posted by jlovda

I was commenting on ganiccus remarks about a small town jeweler. Apparently you thought I was seconding his opinion.

If I misinterpreted you and you were being sarcastic then I apologise.

[jlovda]

Originally Posted by drrd

If I misinterpreted you and you were being sarcastic then I apologise.

Apology accepted. I should have worded it better. I thought it was rather crude to be condescending regarding smaller dealers. If you read my earlier comment, I lost my local AD living in a city with 250K residents.

[drrd]

Originally Posted by jlovda

Apology accepted. I should have worded it better. I thought it was rather crude to be condescending regarding smaller dealers. If you read my earlier comment, I lost my local AD living in a city with 250K residents.

OK sorry about that, I'll blame the Laphroaig.

I'm also a fan of the small independent AD (especially when the alternative is a chain like WOSG with ideas of market control and domination).

[teck21]

Originally Posted by drrd

OK sorry about that, I'll blame the Laphroaig.

I'm also a fan of the small independent AD (especially when the alternative is a chain like WOSG with ideas of market control and domination).

Small independent chains that don’t move enough product to move the needle are going the way of the dodo.

Rolex does not need so many ADs to move their inventory. They could cull every single one of these independents and make life administratively much easier for themselves.

And when these are removed leaving only the large chains and high volume movers, the distribution of popular models will become much fairer because everyone will then be forced to bundle or build a purchase history.

All unhappiness removed! No more jealousy at people who get them for free. What could be better right.


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[Fleetlord]

Originally Posted by teck21

Small independent chains that don’t move enough product to move the needle are going the way of the dodo.

Rolex does not need so many ADs to move their inventory. They could cull every single one of these independents and make life administratively much easier for themselves.

And when these are removed leaving only the large chains and high volume movers, the distribution of popular models will become much fairer because everyone will then be forced to bundle or build a purchase history.

All unhappiness removed! No more jealousy at people who get them for free. What could be better right.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I agree Rolex is executing this plan. They still have too many dealers overall.

[brucethemanlee]

Originally Posted by Bozack90

I am glad I've got what I got and am not in the market for anything else, with all of these posts and the shortage I can only figure its amazingly frustrated for anyone looking for another Rolex

fortunately, same here (at least based on their current catalogue )

[RealMadrid1988]

Originally Posted by jmed

Grow up! This is a stand up family owned business that’s been a staple there for many many years. Bought my Deep Sea from them and possibly one of the best experiences I’ve had buying Rolex. They have been a Rolex account for decades, have a Rolex certified in house service technician, and as you read earlier restructured the sales flood a few years back to showcase Rolex. As far as being non-metropolitan city, so what, if you knew anything, you’d know what kind of money is there on a regular basis. Ever heard of Osmose lumber just for starters ? They probably sold more Rolex on Saturday business from people they’ve never seen before than many Rolex accounts. AND they didn’t play the stupid shady games most Mayors stores or other accounts do, if you wanted to buy a Rolex and they had it, they’d sell to you, NEVER above retail because they are an honest family. It’s very sad what Rolex is doing and has been doing to these long standing honest accounts. I like Rolex, have a few myself, but I don’t consider them a super premium or super luxury brand anymore, they need to stop trying to be Patek. They mass produce watches, expensive watches yes, good quality watches yes, but they are hurting themselves if you ask me.

While it’s unfortunate when a family-owned AD like this one gets cut, I don’t see what could lead you to the conclusion that Rolex is hurting themselves. They literally have customer demand that is orders of magnitude higher than supply. And the demand just keeps growing.

For better or worse there are conveniences/luxuries that come with living in larger cities that you don’t get living in smaller towns. Rolex is slowly but surely being added to that list.

[jlovda]

Originally Posted by teck21

.... the distribution of popular models will become much fairer because everyone will then be forced to bundle or build a purchase history.

Isn't that the way 99% of popular models are sold now? Nothing will really change in the future except some customers will have to drive further and Rolex will have fewer ADs to contend with. You will never be able to own just one, only three or more.

[Columbia04]

This just happened to me recently too (Local AD closing) after exhaustively showing interest for a GMT and SD43 for the past 2.5 years. I have made a few modest jewelry purchases over this time frame and stopped in every 3-4 months over this 2.5 year period. Then they were forced to drop their Rolex line out of the blue. It is beyond frustrating to wait almost three years, put in all this effort with one AD and now I have to start over. It’s such a crap situation and I might just give up on my dream of buying a new Rolex at an AD.

[77T]

I expect this could affect my nearby family-owned AD, too. If not now, then soon.

I’m sort of on the fence about this.

Rolex is actually trimming the smaller family businesses amid the pandemic. On the one hand, it’s business and Rolex has a right to take measures they believe necessary to be successful. Yet, the optics are awful in view of the reduction in sales.

Now if we had 20/20 foresight - perhaps these small family-run shops might prosper by replacing Rolex with something Swiss that can actually be stocked reliably.

This situation is an indicator of Rolex’s own inability to adapt to demand. Not a rant, but it seems directionally correct.

What a thing! Spent millions on adverts, sponsorships, branding - and can’t see a commensurate rise in sales due to production not meeting the inevitable demand from all those efforts.

Blimey, I wish they’d drop all the marketing and plow the savings into an expansion - leave the ADs alone and adapt a hybrid bricks&mortar and online sales plan.


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[teck21]

Originally Posted by jlovda

Isn't that the way 99% of popular models are sold now? Nothing will really change in the future except some customers will have to drive further and Rolex will have fewer ADs to contend with. You will never be able to own just one, only three or more.

I don’t know about 99%, but hey, might as well make 100% right.

People don’t complain about not being able to afford a Ferrari because people know whether they can. Or more likely, cannot.

Rolex on the other hand, people get all upset because they feel they can afford one, and even deserve one but cannot get one. Hence the unhappiness.

Standardise the procedure and create consistency in the allocation of watches, and eventually everyone will be happy.

Or rather, not unhappy because one of the greatest causes of human unhappiness in the first world (or any world) is comparing material possessions. Everyone is susceptible to some extent.

I am not upset that I can’t drive a Bentley in my part of the world because I accept that it is not a market in which I can be a participant at all now.

That’s where Rolex is headed despite all the silly protestations about Rolex watches not being worth ‘that kind of money’.

Is a Ferrari or Bentley worth that kind of money? I didn’t think so either.


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